What could happen if you don't recognize the signs of appendicitis? If you don't recognize or ignore the signs of appendicitis, it could result in death. This is because the appendicitis will get so extreme that it causes the appendix to rupture. When this happens the abdominal cavity becomes filled with undesirable substances ranging from bacteria to pus and even fecal matter. For this reason it is important that everyone knows the most common signs of appendicitis, so they can take immediate action if they suspect they or their loved ones have become inflicted with the disease.

So, what are the signs of appendicitis? One of the most common signs of appendicitis involves pain in the abdominal area. Some have described this pain as feeling like very bad gas pains, while others have compared the pain to the discomfort a woman feels when she's having contractions. Yet, regardless of how you look at it, the pain will be intense and ongoing. It will also be in specific areas of the stomach. For instance, it will start in the lower right-hand corner of the abdomen then spread to the area right above where the appendix is. Some articles may suggest performing 'push' tests to see if the pain is a sign of appendicitis, but try to avoid this unless you know what you're doing. If you do a push test wrong, you risk rupturing the appendix. Instead, just be on the safe side and take the person to the doctor. You can tell the doctor you're worried that the pain could be a sign of appendicitis, and you would like for them to perform the push test. At least if the doctor does it, you can have more assurance that the person's appendix won't rupture.

There are also secondary signs of appendicitis. These include: a fever, trouble passing gas, diarrhea, constipation, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes these signs of appendicitis will occur all together along with the pain. But other times a person may not experience them at all or only experience just one. Don't wait for a person to get these secondary signs of appendicitis, since waiting could result in a deadly situation. If they do have these problems along with stomach pain, you have more indicators that they could possibly be suffering from appendicitis, but still get a professional's opinion. You will not truly know if a loved one is suffering from appendicitis until a trained doctor is able to perform tests for the condition.

In conclusion, the most important sign of appendicitis involves pain in the abdominal area. Sometimes other signs of appendicitis may accompany this pain, but not always. Either way, if any of the signs of appendicitis are applicable to you or a loved one, get medical help immediately. If appendicitis has been diagnosed, the sufferer will have to undergo surgery to get the appendix removed. This can have its own set of complications, but if it's not done, there's the risk that the appendix could rupture, a situation that is much more difficult to deal with.